An Inside Look at the Schulich Master of Marketing Program

For young professionals just entering the job market, having knowledge and practical know-how is a valuable asset. The Schulich School of Business has developed a Master of Marketing program aimed at doing just that, with classes beginning September 2018.

The 12-month program prepares graduates for their professional careers in marketing with theoretical as well as practical knowledge to succeed in today’s marketing industry. We had the chance to speak with Program Director, Professor M. David Rice and talk in depth about what this program can offer students and what makes this program one of the most unique in Canada!

Unlike any other program in Canada

The Master of Marketing (MMKG) prepares graduates for professional careers in marketing. “The program emphasizes strategic and analytical topics needed to generate insights and solutions to today’s challenging marketing environment,” says Professor M. David Rice. “While teaching hands-on skills necessary for initial employment, the ultimate goal is to create creative thinkers and leaders in marketing for the modern world.” Students can expect this program to get them ready to enter the competitive marketing industry with the knowledge and insight to be successful. Unlike other graduate programs in Canada that focus on research and doctoral programs, the MMKG program “is ‘management focused’ and the intention is [to] train graduates to have careers in marketing organizations in public, private and nonprofit sectors,” says David. “In just one year, you can gain the information you need with exposure to the actual industry!”

Career Focused and Applicable Courses

Getting hands-on experience is crucial to gaining understanding in any industry. With this in mind, an integral part of the MMKG program is a two-term (8 month) Marketing Field Consulting Project. “In this course, students will work with the company on the development of a marketing plan during the first term,” he says. Teams will then have the chance to assist and implement the plan they helped to develop during the second part of the term. “This will allow our students to experience how marketing works in the real world,” says Professor M. David Rice. “Our perspective is that the best way to learn marketing is to actually ‘Do Marketing’.”

In order for this program to offer students the most career-driven information, it was developed with a keen attention to detail. When designing the program, the MMKG Development Task Force went straight to the source – industry professionals themselves. “The MMKG Development Task Force spoke with dozens of companies, recruiters, marketing hiring managers, and industry experts to determine the specific skills one needs in order to get a job and be successful in marketing,” Professor Rice explains. Students can rest assured that the quality of the content is relevant and directly applicable.

While staying on top of industry trends, courses are always leading-edge. “Due to technology, the pace of change in marketing is truly remarkable,” says David, who is most excited about a course called ‘New Topics in Digital Marketing’. “The course will focus on the very latest trends and developments in the field,” he explains. So much change that he says he can’t tell us specifically what subjects will be taught because there will be brand new topics that will be developed between now and the fall semester! Students will acquire the essential marketing tools needed to succeed, “…including Brand Mapping, Conjoint Analysis, Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and other social media monitoring tools,” says Professor Rice– just to give you a small glimpse into what students can expect to learn.

“Remain up-to-date on new trends and thinking, particularly in the area of digital marketing. I suggest setting up a News Feed of current articles in the field of digital marketing. If someone spends a few minutes every morning reading about recent developments, then that person has a greater chance of being at the leading-edge of marketing thinking.” Professor M. David Rice

Professional and Personal Growth

Not only will students be equipped with the career-focused tools and knowledge to hatch their career in marketing, they will also develop valuable soft skills in communication, collaboration and the art of balancing multiple projects through prioritization and time management. Students will also have access to career resources offered at the Schulich School of Business. “New MMKG students will have access to our Career Development Centre (CDC). Essentially, the CDC are a group of industry professionals who have come back to work as career coaches at Schulich,” says David. This is an amazing opportunity for students to connect and learn from industry professionals!

Top 3 Benefits of the MMKG program:

1. “…learn leading-edge digital marketing techniques. Using these techniques in case studies and working with a real company will help to prepare students for a successful career in marketing.”

2. “…work on communication and presentation skills.”

3. “…opportunity to work with world-class marketing experts from the Schulich School of Business.”

If you’re looking for an opportunity to launch your career in marketing, the Schulich Master of Marketing could be the perfect fit for you. Interested in learning more?

About the author

Stephanie Davis
Stephanie Davis is a Content and Marketing Coordinator with TalentEgg. Stephanie graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Arts and Contemporary Studies and has two Professional Certificates in Strategic Public Relations and Online Social Media & Web Writing from the University of Toronto. She has a passion for storytelling, whether it's through words, pictures, or song! Connect with her on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.